Horseman heads up a thin crack past a small tree (on the left of the photo), then continues up the large right-facing corner. Up towards the top, you traverse out left, around the nose, then climb the face above....

With old age you lose two things. Thanks to your memory going first you never miss the loss of the second.

Erect Direction: There is not a chance I would ever give a climb this name. Zero. My old guides are in the desert so I can't refer to them. I think Roy Kliegfield did it first. Get the old blue guide.

Horseman: I have saved the Horseman photo posted above. From the old Eastern Trade days I have a picture of Horseman taken in 1940 or 1941 by Fritz. Once I get the 8x10 scanned I will post the two together. Prepare to be separated from your socks!

Yellow Wall: I walked by Yellow Wall one day while Jim and friends were first doing it. Correct or not I have the vague recollection they spent the night on it just for fun. Years later Kevin Bein was doing it on top rope. I saw him come off. He swung out half way to New Paltz.

So there you go. You have proof positive old Gunks climbers love to blubber in their beer over old times just like everyone else.

Perhaps it was given its name by the first ascentionists, Bill Goldner and Deniss Mehmett in 1966.

So did you free the second pitch? I have never tried it myself.

Swain says One of the best 5.10s in the Gunks. If the second falls off the last pitch, an epic may ensue. ... Crabcrawl right , and layback desperately to a hanging belay... He has the same FA and FFA info as Williams. I do not have blue book.

:-) While I may have managed to get up a couple one move wonder 10 pitches on TR at the Gunks, I don't climb (often) with that quality leader - and I sure am not in that category myself.

I have yet to lead an 8 there - and that is my home crag! I keep saying this year.

So I repeat. This year. I love Snookies Return, but worry about getting the first piece in despite never falling on the climb. Followed ED P1 once. Thinking also about ED and last pitch of Bombs Away Dream Baby, which is already downgraded below 8. Also like Sundown, Twisted Sister, and the variation of Raubenheimers, but don't have the right wires for the latter two.

Ugh. If you're worrying about gear on a climb like Snookies, I'd stay away from BADB. The second pitch crux is a really long reach with gear below your feet and if you blow it, you will most likely deck unless you have a REALLY good belayer and a not-very-stretchy rope. Middle Earth is a very nice 5-6 (depending on who you consult) in the same area (and you can take a look at BADB and decide, since their second pitches start at the same point).

Ursula, The Last Will be First, and Miss Bailey are 3 particularly good 5.5 - 6's I've done this so far this year. I've decided I'm going to try to hit all the 2-3 star 5, 6, 7, and 8's that I haven't led yet this year, and try to get more comfortable at 9s, so It's been a lot of the 5s and 6s the past few weeks.

Someone mentioned Sixish (5.4) and that is always my favorite climb to take new climbers on, because you get a little of a lot of things (a layback move or two at the beginning, a thin traverse on a ledge, a blocky gunks corner, a traverse around a nose, a semi-hanging belay (if you stop), a roof that feels overhanging to a newbie off of the belay, beautiful gunks face climbing and the GT ledge. What more could you want in a 5.4??)

Looks like the weather's beautiful this weekend, so I'm off to the dacks!

Bill Goldner and Roy used to climb together so I can
believe I got the two confused after forty years of doing
other things. I do remember something about ED so I
may have freed it. Have to check my old blue book. I
wrote stuff down in it.

Fat City as one pitch?
I do remember a little on that one. Rope drag is the
issue as you may want to traverse around on the
easier but still overhanging rock near the top. A lot
of air up there. If you third class the first 50 feet or so
and put a long runner in to protect the move to the
pin at the hard move you will have drag only if you
move left right after the hard part. If you stay difficult
and take the second OH right above the crux you
will then have three pieces in-line after you put
another in to protect your exit. So yeah, you may
still be able to move right then left up there.
Thought of double rope? Will 160' reach?

Oh by the way, if it is not noted in the books.
Gary Brown did, by far, the hardest climbing
when he put in the pin at the crux. He was
the man.